Non-Fiction Book Reviews

Book Review: Encounters

By Sandy Amazeen Feb 17, 2013, 2:59 GMT

In this volume, the Sheldon Museum of Art presents more than one hundred examples from its distinguished photography collection, which contains nearly twenty-five hundred objects. Encompassing the full range of photographic history, Encounters showcases recognized masterpieces, recent acquisitions, and rarely seen treasures by a diverse range of artists, including Berenice Abbott, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Julia Margaret Cameron, Gertrude Käsebier, André Kertész, Robert Mapplethorpe, Yinka Shonibare, Paul Strand, William Henry Fox ...more

The Sheldon Museum of Art houses an impressive photography collection numbering almost twenty-five hundred pieces beginning with the birth of the art form and on to the present day. This collection is arranged by themes including gender issues, tradition, religion, rites of passage and more rather then chronologically. What sets this book apart from most photography books is this collection focuses on the artists rather then their work though each is represented by an excellent example. From instantly recognizable names such as Robert Mapplethorpe and John A. Anderson to lesser known photographers like Catherine Opie and Cecil Beaton, each are given a full-page bio that provides historical, social and political context for their work. This excellent assemblage of over one hundred photos of primarily black and white and sepia pieces strives to show a multinational world in transition, a goal it meets and exceeds. This volume will delight photography buffs, design students and anyone with an eye for art.